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Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) is involved in the progression of atherosclerosis, since its enzymatic activity promotes the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Besides, GGT may act as a prothrombotic factor by inducing tissue factor (TF) expression, independently of its enzymatic activity. The aim of this study was to assess whether GGT-induced TF stimulation was a consequence of binding to toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expressed on monocytes, the precursors of macrophages and foam cells which colocalize with GGT activity within atherosclerotic plaques. Experiments were performed in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), THP-1 cells (a monocytic cellular model), and HEK293 cells, which were genetically modified to study the activation of TLR4. TF procoagulant activity was assessed by a one-stage clotting time test, and TF protein expression was estimated by western blot. Human recombinant (hr) GGT protein increased TF procoagulant activity and protein expression in both PBMCs and THP-1 cells. The GGT-induced TF stimulation was prevented by cellular pretreatment with TLR4/NF-κB inhibitors (LPS-Rs, CLI-095, and BAY-11-7082), and HEK293 cells lacking TLR4 confirmed that TLR4 is essential for GGT-induced activation of NF-κB. In conclusion, hrGGT induced TF expression in monocytes through a cytokine-like mechanism that involved the activation of TLR4/NF-κB signaling.

Background: Proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9) is a serin protease synthesized mainly in the liver that binds the receptor of low-density lipoprotein and promotes its degradation in lysosomes. PCSK9 is considered a promising target for the development of new therapies for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and related cardiovascular diseases. Extracellular vesicles represent a heterogeneous population of vesicles, ranging in size between 0.05 and 1 μm involved in numerous pathophysiological processes, including blood coagulation. We investigated whether PCSK9 stimulation induces the release of procoagulant extracellular vesicles from human mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and THP-1 cells., Methods and Results: PBMCs and THP-1 cells were stimulated whit PCSK9, the generation of EV was assessed by the prothrombinase assay and by cytofluorimetric analysis. EV-associated tissue factor activity was assessed by a one-stage clotting assay. PCSK9 induced an increase in extracellular generation by PBMCs and THP-1 cells as well as an increase in extracellular vesicle-associated tissue factor. Pre-treatment with inhibitors of the toll like receptor, TLR4 (C34), and of NF-κB signaling (BAY 11-7082), downregulated PCSK9-induced extracellular vesicle generation and of extracellular- bound tissue factor. Similar effect was obtained by an anti-PCSK9 human-monoclonal antibody., Conclusions: PCSK9-mediated generation of procoagulant EV could contribute to increase the prothrombotic status in patients with cardiovascular diseases., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9) increases LDL cholesterol (C) concentration by accelerating the hepatic degradation of the LDL receptor (R) thus promoting atherogenesis. The molecule, however, also exerts proinflammatory effects independent of circulating LDL-C by enhancing local cytokine production and activation of NFkB, a process that might involve Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a crucial component of the innate immunity system. Tissue factor (TF), a glycoprotein which plays an essential role in coagulation and inflammation, is rapidly induced by circulating monocytes stimulated by proinflammatory agents through NFkB-dependent mechanisms. The aims of our study were (1) to assess whether PCSK9 may induce monocytic TF expression and (2) to evaluate whether the TLR4/NFkB signaling pathway may contribute to that effect. Experiments were carried out in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), THP-1 cells, and HEK293 cells transfected with plasmids encoding the human TLR4 complex. PCSK9 increased procoagulant activity (PCA), mRNA and TF protein expression in both PBMCs and THP-1 cultures. Pre-treatment with inhibitors of TLR4/NFkB signaling such as LPS-RS, CLI-095, and BAY 11-7082, downregulated PCSK9-induced TF expression. A similar effect was obtained by incubating cell cultures with anti-PCSK9 human monoclonal antibody. In TLR4-HEK293 cells, PCSK9 activated the TLR4/NFkB signaling pathway to an extent comparable to LPS, the specific agonist of TLR4s and quantitative confocal microscopy documented the colocalization of PCSK9 and TLR4s. In conclusion, PCSK9 induces TF expression through activation of TLR4/NFkB signaling.

The aim of this article was to investigate the knowledge, management, and clinical practice of Italian physiotherapists concerning patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). A national cross-sectional survey consisted of 24 questions was administered from December 2019 until February 2020. A Chi-squared independence test was run to study any difference between subgroups of the sample and responses to the questionnaire. Five hundred and eight respondents completed the survey. Most respondents ( n = 225/508; 44.3%) are under 29 years old, female ( n = 256/508; 50.4%) and have been working as physiotherapists for less than 5 years ( n = 213/508; 41.9%). Most of respondents correctly knows about the cause ( n = 455/508, 89.6%), main signs and symptoms of CTS ( n = 415/508, 81.70%) and administer education, manual therapy, myofascial techniques and therapeutic exercises ( n = 457/508, 89.88%). Three hundred and sixty-four (71.68%) respondents were aware of the influence of psychosocial factors on the patient's outcomes. The survey showed greater adherence to evidences by physiotherapists holding a master's degree. The results are mostly comparable with other surveys structured all over the world on the same topic. Italian physiotherapists management of the CTS was not always in line with current evidence. Interventions such as education, manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, nerve and tendon glide techniques are widely used, while the orthotic is only offered by half of the sample.

Tiotropium is a muscarinic antagonist that reduces the risk of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, possibly through an as yet incompletely characterized anti-inflammatory activity. We hypothesized that muscarinic activation of bronchial epithelial cells and endothelial cells causes the release of proinflammatory microparticles and that tiotropium inhibits the phenomenon. Microparticle generation was assessed by a functional assay, by flow cytometry and by NanoSight technology. Immortalized bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) and umbilical vein endothelial cells were treated with acetylcholine in the presence of varying concentrations of tiotropium. Intracellular calcium concentration, extracellular regulated kinase phosphorylation and chemokine content in the conditioned media were assessed by commercial kits. Acetylcholine causes microparticle generation that is completely inhibited by tiotropium (50 pM). Microparticles generated by acetylcholine-stimulated cells increase the synthesis of proinflammatory mediators in an autocrine fashion. Acetylcholine-induced upregulation of microparticle generation is inhibited by an inhibitor of extracellular regulated kinase phosphorylation and by a phospholipase C inhibitor. Tiotropium blocks both extracellular regulated kinase phosphorylation and calcium mobilization, consistent with the hypothesis that the drug prevents microparticle generation through inhibition of these critical pathways. These results might contribute to explain the effect of tiotropium in reducing acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Extracellular vesicles are submicron vesicles that upregulate the synthesis of proinflammatory mediators by lung epithelial cells. We investigated whether these structures adhere to lung epithelial cells, and whether adhesion is a prerequisite for their proinflammatory activity. Extracellular vesicles were generated by stimulation of normal human mononuclear cells with the calcium ionophore A23187, and labelled with carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester. Adhesion of vesicles to monolayers of immortalized bronchial epithelial (16HBE) and alveolar (A549) cells was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy. The role of candidate adhesion receptors was evaluated with inhibitory monoclonal antibodies and soluble peptides. The synthesis of proinflammatory mediators was assessed by ELISA. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the generation of closed vesicles with an approximate size range between 50 and 600 nm. Adhesion of extracellular vesicles to epithelial cells was upregulated upon stimulation of the latter with tumor necrosis factor-α. Adhesion was blocked by an anti-CD18 antibody, by peptides containing the sequence RGD and, to a lesser extent, by an antibody to ICAM-1. The same molecules also blocked the upregulation of the synthesis of interleukin-8 and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 induced by extracellular vesicles. CD18-mediated adhesion of extracellular vesicles is a prerequisite for their proinflammatory activity., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: To investigate the behaviour of miR-19a and miR-20a, two microRNAs involved in posttranscriptional modulation of TF expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) exposed to high glucose (HG) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and to evaluate the involvement of angiotensin II in that process., Methods: TF Procoagulant Activity (PCA, one-stage clotting assay), antigen (Ag, ELISA), and miR-19a and miR-20a levels (specific TaqMan® MicroRNA Assays) were evaluated in PBMCs exposed to high glucose (HG, 50 mM), LPS (100 ng/mL), and Olmesartan (OLM, 10 -6  M), an angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist., Results: HG increased TF expression and decreased both miRs as compared to control glucose conditions (11.1 mM). In HG-activated PBMCs, LPS stimulated TF expression and downregulated miR-20a, an effect reverted by OLM (10 -6  M); miR-19a expression was unchanged by LPS in both CG and HG conditions., Conclusions: miR-19a and miR-20a are inhibited by inflammatory stimuli active on TF expression and their response differs by the stimulus under investigation; angiotensin II may participate in that mechanism.

Background: Besides maintaining intracellular glutathione stores, gamma-glutamyltransferase(GGT) generates reactive oxygen species and activates NFkB, a redox-sensitive transcription factor key in the induction of Tissue Factor (TF) gene expression, the principal initiator of the clotting cascade. Thus, GGT might be involved in TF-mediated coagulation processes, an assumption untested insofar., Methods: Experiments were run with either equine, enzymatically active GGT or human recombinant (hr) GGT, a wheat germ-derived protein enzymatically inert because of missing post-translational glycosylation. TF Procoagulant Activity (PCA, one-stage clotting assay), TF antigen(ELISA) and TFmRNA(real-time PCR) were assessed in unpooled human peripheral blood mononuclear cell(PBMC) suspensions obtained from healthy donors through discontinuous Ficoll/Hystopaque density gradient., Results: Equine GGT increased PCA, an effect insensitive to GGT inhibition by acivicin suggesting mechanisms independent of its enzymatic activity, a possibility confirmed by the maintained stimulation in response to hrGGT, an enzymatically inactive molecule. Endotoxin(LPS) contamination of GGT preparations was excluded by heat inactivation studies and direct determination(LAL method) of LPS concentrations <0.1 ng/mL practically devoid of procoagulant effect. Inhibition by anti-GGT antibodies corroborated that conclusion. Upregulation by hrGGT of TF antigen and mRNA and its downregulation by BAY-11-7082, a NFkB inhibitor, and N-acetyl-L-cysteine, an antioxidant, was consistent with a NFkB-driven, redox-sensitive transcriptional site of action., Conclusions: GGT upregulates TF expression independent of its enzymatic activity, a cytokine-like behaviour mediated by NFκB activation, a mechanism contributing to promote acute thrombotic events, a possibility in need, however, of further evaluation.

Pirfenidone is a drug recently approved for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis but its mechanisms of action are partially unknown. We have previously demonstrated that the airways of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis contain procoagulant microparticles that activate coagulation factor X to its active form, Xa, a proteinase that signals fibroblast growth and differentiation, thus potentially contributing to the pathogenesis of the disease. We also reported that in vitro exposure of human alveolar cells to H2O2 causes microparticle generation. Since p38 activation is involved in microparticle generation in some cell models and p38 inhibition is one of the mechanisms of action of pirfenidone, we investigated the hypothesis that H2O2-induced generation of microparticles by alveolar cells is dependent on p38 phosphorylation and is inhibited by pirfenidone. H2O2 stimulation of alveolar cells caused p38 phosphorylation that was inhibited by pirfenidone. The drug also inhibited H2O2 induced microparticle generation as assessed by two independent methods (solid phase thrombin generation and flow cytometry). The shedding of microparticle-bound tissue factor activity was also inhibited by pirfenidone. Inhibition of p38-mediated generation of procoagulant microparticle is a previously unrecognized mechanism of action of the antifibrotic drug, pirfenidone., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Obesity is linked to increased thrombotic risk. Circulating leptin concentration correlates with body mass index. Microparticles are small (.05-1 μm) vesicles shed by activated and apoptotic cells, involved in numerous pathophysiologically relevant phenomena including blood coagulation and thrombosis. We tested the hypothesis that leptin induces the shedding of procoagulant, tissue factor bearing microparticles by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and investigated the intracellular mechanisms leading to microparticle release upon incubation with leptin., Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from healthy donors. Cells were incubated with leptin in the presence or in the absence of a phospholipase C inhibitor, U73122, a calmodulin inhibitor, W-7, and three inhibitors of mitogen activated protein kinases. Microparticle generation was assessed as phosphatidylserine concentration with a prothrombinase assay and by cytofluorimetric analysis. Tissue factor expression on microparticles was measured with a one-stage clotting assay. Intracellular calcium concentration was assessed by a fluorescent probe., Results: Leptin increased intracellular calcium mobilization and stimulated the generation of tissue factor-bearing MP by peripheral blood mononuclear cells, as assessed by phosphatidylserine quantification, clotting tests and flow-cytometry. U73122, PD98059 (an extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 inhibitor), and W-7, significantly inhibited leptin-induced MP release. SB203580 (a p38 inhibitor), and SP600125 (a c-Jun N-terminal kinase inhibitor) had no effect., Conclusion: Leptin-induced generation of procoagulant microparticles might represent a link between obesity and atherothrombotic risk. Inhibition of leptin-induced microparticle generation might prove a viable strategy for the reduction of such risk in obese individuals., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Intimate links connect tissue factor (TF), the principal initiator of the clotting cascade, to inflammation, a cross-talk amplified by locally generated Angiotensin (AT) II, the effector arm of the Renin Angiotensin System (RAS). C21, a selective AT2R agonist, downregulates the transcriptional expression of TF in LPS-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cell(PBMC)s implying the existence of ATII type 2 receptor (AT2R)s whose stimulation attenuates inflammation-mediated procoagulant responses. High glucose, by activating key signalling pathways and increasing the cellular content of RAS components, augments TF expression and potentiates the inhibitory effect of AT1R antagonists. It is unknown, however, the impact of that stimulus on AT2R-mediated TF inhibition, an information useful to understand more precisely the role of that signal transduction pathway in the inflammation-mediated coagulation process. TF antigen (ELISA), procoagulant activity (PCA, 1-stage clotting assay) and TF-mRNA (real-time polymerase chain reaction) were assessed in PBMCs activated by LPS, a pro-inflammatory and procoagulant stimulus, exposed to either normal (N) or HG concentrations (5.5 and 50 mM respectively)., Results: HG upregulated TF expression, an effect abolished by BAY 11-7082, a NFκB inhibitor. C21 inhibited LPS-stimulated PCA, TFAg and mRNA to an extent independent of glucose concentration but the response to Olmesartan, an AT1R antagonist, was quite evidently potentiated by HG., Conclusions: HG stimulates LPS-induced TF expression through mechanisms completely dependent upon NFkB activation. Both AT2R-stimulation and AT1R-blockade downregulate inflammation-mediated procoagulant response in PBMCs but HG impacts differently on the two different signal transduction pathways.

Particulate airborne pollution is associated with increased cardiopulmonary morbidity. Microparticles are extracellular vesicles shed by cells upon activation or apoptosis involved in physiological processes such as coagulation and inflammation, including airway inflammation. We investigated the hypothesis that particulate matter causes the shedding of microparticles by human mononuclear and endothelial cells. Cells, isolated from the blood and the umbilical cords of normal donors, were cultured in the presence of particulate from a standard reference. Microparticles were assessed in the supernatant as phosphatidylserine concentration. Microparticle-associated tissue factor was assessed by an one-stage clotting assay. Nanosight technology was used to evaluate microparticle size distribution. Particulate matter induces a dose- and time- dependent, rapid (1h) increase in microparticle generation in both cells. These microparticles express functional tissue factor. Particulate matter increases intracellular calcium concentration and phospholipase C inhibition reduces microparticle generation. Nanosight analysis confirmed that upon exposure to particulate matter both cells express particles with a size range consistent with the definition of microparticles (50-1000 nm). Exposure of mononuclear and endothelial cells to particulate matter upregulates the generation of microparticles at least partially mediated by calcium mobilization. This observation might provide a further link between airborne pollution and cardiopulmonary morbidity., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Intricate interrelationships connect tissue factor (TF), the principal initiator of the clotting cascade, to inflammation, a cross-talk amplified by locally active angiotensin II, a proinflammatory agent with direct TF-stimulating properties mediated by the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R)s. However, angiotensin II also stimulates angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R)s and they may as well contribute to TF expression, a possibility in need of further evaluation. We investigated the effect of C21, a highly specific AT2R agonist, on TF antigen (ELISA), procoagulant activity (PCA, one-stage clotting assay) and TF-mRNA (real-time PCR) in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)s activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a pro-inflammatory and procoagulant stimulus. C21 downregulated LPS-stimulated TF antigen, PCA and TF mRNA, an effect abolished by PD123 319, a selective AT2R antagonist, and left unchanged by omesartan, a selective AT1R antagonist. PD123 319 per se did not affect LPS-induced TF expression while omesartan inhibited and BAY 11-7082, a specific NFκB inhibitor, abolished endotoxin-activated procoagulant activity (PCA). C21, a selective AT2R agonist, downregulates the transcriptional expression of TF in LPS-activated PBMCs, a finding consistent with the existence in PBMCs of AT2Rs whose stimulation attenuates inflammation-mediated procoagulant responses. The data open insofar unexplored and potentially relevant facets to our understanding of the complex links connecting angiotensin II to inflammation and coagulation.